Did anyone else spot....

Hurry up and get out of my way

Nah , it wasn`t aimed at you dude , just something I have done for years as an extra precaution .

Originally Posted by xXBADGERXx

Hurry up and get out of my way

I'll remember that the next time we're riding together.

Tut ..... you can`t have 2 TECs yanno

Originally Posted by timwilky

What is so special, a fiat 500 with go faster stripes, why bother? after all it is a bloody fiat, small, unreliable, rot boxes

Certainly not something to have a wet dream over

dunno what you base your opinion of fiats on tim but I beg to differ as my wife's 1993 UNO has never missed a beat. We'll probably look at a 500 to replace it whn the time comes

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by cartwrim

dunno what you base your opinion of fiats on tim but I beg to differ as my wife's 1993 UNO has never missed a beat. We'll probably look at a 500 to replace it whn the time comes

I have had 3 dalliances with fiat, none of the good

1) Learned to drive in a Fiat 125. It broke down on my test, which had to be abandoned a a walk back to the test centre for me and the examiner.

2) a gutless X19 that rusted so quick that it died a death that was only slightly premature of that of the gearbox.

3) a supermirafiori that blew the engine on the M6 when on full chat, when I lifted the bonnet a con rod was sticking out the side of the block.

So reliability not good. rust buckets. I stand by what I said

Originally Posted by timwilky

So reliability not good. rust buckets. I stand by what I said

Without wishing to sound rude I'm guessing that when you did your test was a fair while ago and thus I'm sure the build quality has come on a little since then!

The other two models you mention sound pretty 'classic' too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Fiat's are the be all and end all; and I'm only basing my opinion on the good fortune we've had with the brand, but saying they're all pants is a bit harsh.

Anyway, I didn't see the car in question, I must have been looking the other way or something

Blimey Tim, Your not exactly up to date on your Fiats are you?

All the ones you mentioned are about 15 to 20 years old. I quite agree that they used to be real rust buckets (I had an X19 too, it snapped in half). But if you compare any car of the age your talking about, Fiesta's, mini's, Corsa's, Renault 5's, they all fell apart at about the same rate. Fiat, like all manufacturers, have come a long way since then.

By all means give the Fiats a wide berth if you want to, thats your choice. All I know is that this is my second Grande Punto, as I run another one on my driving school. Nothing else comes close for reliability, ease of driving, and fun behind the wheel.

My wife had a big crash in my previous Grande Punto too. Now i know why it has a five star crash rating. I can think of a lot of cars i wouldnt have wanted Sarah driving in the impact she had.

The new one does 0-60 in 8.9 secs, has all the toys you could wish for, and is only in group 6 insurance. The turbo engine makes me smile every time I squeeze the accelerator.